Facebook owner Meta has replaced former India head Ajit Mohan with veteran business leader Sandhya Devanathan, who was its APAC Gaming lead until now. Devanathan comes just weeks after Mohan left the social media giant to join Snapchat parent Snap.
Earlier this month, Ajit Mohan, head of Meta in India, left the social network to join rival Snap, the parent company of Snapchat, as lead of the company`s Asia-Pacific business. Devanathan replaces him and has been appointed as Meta India’s Vice President.
Devanathan’s appointment comes at a time when Meta has been one of the big companies in the news for mass layoffs in India. The company has fired around 13 percent or 11,000 employees last week. It was one of the worst recent layoffs in India.
Devanathan has been tasked with bringing Meta’s business and revenue priorities together. She will also focus on continuing the social network’s long-term growth of business and commitment to India, a company statement on Thursday said. She will also build relationships with Meta’s leading brands, creators, advertisers and partners in India. Devanathan will report to Meta APAC VP Dan Neary and will take up the new role from January 1, 2023.
Who is Sandhya Devanathan?
A veteran woman business leader, Sandhya Devanathan has 22 years of experience in a career that took her around the globe. She has worked with some of the biggest brands in banking, payments and technology.
Before starting her career at the turn of the millennium, Devanathan pursued a BTech degree in Chemical Engineering from Andhra University and then went for an MBA from the Faculty of Management Studies (FMS), University of Delhi. She also undertook a leadership course from the Saïd Business School at Oxford University in 2014.
She started her career with a nearly decade-long stint with Citibank and then had a 6-year stint with Standard Chartered Bank. She first joined Facebook in 2016. She has held the position of Country Managing Director for Singapore and Business Head - Vietnam. Most recently, she was Vice President - APAC gaming at Meta, which is one of the company’s largest verticals globally.
She has been on the Asia Advisory Board of Women’s Forum for the Economy and Society, on the Steering Committee - Digital Readiness Council Singapore, Member of Board of Advisors at College of Integrative Studies at Singapore Management University and in Board of Directors of Pepper Financial Services Group,.
In her new role, Devanathan will move back to India and lead the organisation which owns big names like Instagram and WhatsApp along with Facebook.
